5th Sunday
Mount2000 Retreat Closing Mass
Mount St. Mary’s University
February 8, 2026
You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world. When you hear words like this we can think of it as a sort of command: Go be the salt of the earth! Go be the light of the world! We can start to think of how we should do that, or how we could do that.
But Jesus doesn’t say you can be or should be the salt of the earth Jesus says you are the salt of the earth. And he doesn’t say go be the light of the world. He says you are the light of the world.
You are the salt of the earth: you give the world flavor and keep it fresh. You bring the “flavor” of Christ everywhere you go and in everything you do: at school, sports, school plays, you name it. You are the light of the world: you shine with the peace and joy of Christ in the darkness of doubt, isolation, anger, and despair – and you help the world to see. So, what makes us salty? Where did we get our shine? God’s love for you.
God’s love called you into being: God created you. God’s love saved you and redeemed you. God’s love has charted a destiny, a plan, for your life. God’s love will sustain you in the tough times. God’s love will fill you with peace and joy. God’s love made you what you are and who you are. God’s love helps you to be who you are more and more each day. And this love never fails.
I hope and pray that this weekend you have encountered that love: in the words you have heard, in the people you have met, in the experiences that you have had.
I hope and pray that you encountered that love in the mercy of God offered in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Here is where we find a loving Father waiting for us, calling us back to life, offering us a new beginning. When we lose our flavor he brings it back, when we hide our light or it starts to dim, he restores it and lifts it up.
I hope and pray that you encountered that love last night in the powerful experience of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. As Mother Theresa once said:
“When you look at the Crucifix,
you understand how much Jesus loved you.
When you look at the Sacred Host
you understand how much Jesus loves you now.”
Looking out this morning, seeing all of you, I see a sign of the never ending love of God, a sign of hope. Christ is calling a new generation to follow him and you are responding. You are loved by God, more than you can ever know or imagine. He made you what you are and reminds you who you are: YOU are the salt of the earth. YOU are the light of world. Filled with the love that we receive from this altar: Go be who you are.